After finishing the cheongsam designs for Fang Meiyuan and Du Juan, Xu Qingning took a break, eating and sleeping all the time, and was even too lazy to knit a sweater.
After calculating the days, she realized she should submit the design drafts to the provincial capital this month.
Fortunately, she had designed many styles in advance. Based on Liu Caixia's suggestion, she selected five autumn styles and had Liu Dawei deliver them to the department store.
In a few days, she will organize her winter and spring designs and submit them until the end of the year, so that everyone can have peace of mind.
When Liu Dawei came back, he also brought her salary with him: "Auntie said that starting this month, it will be settled monthly, so giving it to you now is the same."
"Thank you so much, Director Liu." Xu Qingning accepted the invitation happily. "You and Yaqiang come over for dinner tonight, it's on me."
These two young men were hardworking and enthusiastic, and they helped them a lot.
Last month, they even helped Yang Yuelan read the electricity meter. Yang Yuelan was very touched and had been saying for a while that she would treat them to a meal.
"You're too kind, sister-in-law." Liu Dawei chuckled. "This is your salary, I'm just helping you collect it."
"If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to finish reading the electricity meter so quickly." Yang Yuelan looked at Liu Dawei with particularly warm eyes. "Jingyu isn't home, so you and Yaqiang have had a hard time."
"Auntie, we're all family, let's not talk about this." Liu Dawei was embarrassed by the praise. "My brother has helped us a lot before, what we did is nothing."
As the three were chatting, Zhao Futang appeared at the door carrying large and small bags. Yang Yuelan's eyes lit up: "Old man, what brings you here?"
"Dad, you're here." Xu Qingning was also surprised. Compared to last time, Zhao Futang was like a completely different person. His face was thin and pale, and he looked disheveled.
"Uncle, didn't we give you a phone number last time? Let us know before you come so we can pick you up. It's so hot in the middle of the day." Liu Dawei immediately stepped forward to take the things from his hands—various vegetables and fruits, as well as rice and noodles, which were quite heavy.
"No need to trouble you, it's only a half-hour walk here." Zhao Futang wiped the sweat from his face, stamped his foot at the door, shook off the dust, and then went inside.
Xu Qingning poured Zhao Futang a glass of water: "Dad, have some water."
"You're here just in time, otherwise I would have had to go back to take the kids to school." Yang Yuelan squatted down to sort through the vegetables and fruits. "They'll be starting school next month."
"That's why I came. They've been staying for so long, they should go back now." Zhao Futang took a sip of water before sitting down, then patted his pocket, took out ten yuan and gave it to Xu Qingning. "Tell your mom what you want to eat. I don't know what you like, so I didn't buy anything."
"Dad, we have money." Xu Qingning was too embarrassed to ask for it.
"Here you go, just take it." Seeing that she wouldn't take it, Zhao Futang simply put it on the coffee table for her. "Just don't think it's too little."
“Yes, take it. I didn’t take a penny when I came. The two children have been eating and staying here for so long, this isn’t enough.” Yang Yuelan took a stool and sat at the door picking vegetables. “We don’t have any. If we did, we would give you more.”
"Mom, you're being too polite with me." Xu Qingning couldn't refuse any longer.
"Uncle, Auntie, you two chat, I'll be going now." Liu Dawei tactfully left, and Yang Yuelan saw him to the door. "Your uncle just happened to be here. Invite Yaqiang over for dinner tonight."
"Okay," Liu Dawei replied.
When Yang Yuelan returned, she saw the ten yuan was still on the coffee table, so she picked it up and put it on Xu Qingning's desk in the bedroom, saying to Xu Qingning, "It's not much money, don't try to refuse us."
When the two brothers returned from outside and saw Zhao Futang, they excitedly rushed over and called him "Grandpa." One hugged his neck, and the other lay on his lap, enjoying a heartwarming moment together.
Upon learning that Zhao Futang had come to take them back, the two brothers burst into tears simultaneously: "We don't want to go back."
"You two need to go back to school," Zhao Futang advised the two brothers. "You can't not go to school."
“Yes, Chengjun will be starting first grade after summer vacation.” Yang Yuelan had been thinking about this and even made a schoolbag for each of her two grandsons. “We need to go back and prepare in advance.”
The two brothers cried even louder.
Not only can we not play anymore.
I have to go back to school.
"If you want to come, you can come after winter break," Xu Qingning comforted the two boys. "I'll reward whoever gets better grades with ten fruit candies."
When the two brothers heard that Xu Qingning had told them to come back after the holiday, they were very happy.
That's when she stopped crying.
Zhao Futang hadn't eaten yet, so Yang Yuelan heated up the leftovers and told him to eat on the kang (heated brick bed). Xu Qingning didn't want to follow him, so she simply went back to her room for a nap.
Zhao Futang touched the surface of the kang (a heated brick bed): "This kang is very well made, and the room is spacious now."
"It was my third brother's wife's uncle who came to help set up the kang (heated brick bed)." Yang Yuelan was very satisfied with the kang. "In winter, we can burn more firewood to make the kang warmer. Then we'll have my third brother's wife move in, which will be convenient when she has a child."
“Yes, it’s more convenient on the kang (heated brick bed). I agree. When I get back, I’ll go up the mountain to cut more firewood and bring it over, so I can buy less coal and save money.”
Yang Yuelan then told Zhao Futang about her work as a meter reader. Zhao Futang was very happy to hear this: "When winter comes, I'll come and help you whenever I have nothing else to do. It will help them out a little."
"That's exactly what I think." Yang Yuelan knew that Zhao Futang would definitely support her, and said with relief, "Third brother's wife is easy to get along with. With you here, we'll be more comfortable living here."
“I didn’t come here specifically to pick up the two brothers. I heard that a lot of educated youth have returned to the city recently, so I wanted to come and inquire about whether there are any job openings so that the eldest and second eldest brothers can come back.”
Zhao Futang used to work in Jiaodong City, but many years have passed, and he has lost touch with his old network of contacts. Moreover, the iron component factory where he used to work has moved to another place, and he no longer has any colleagues.
Although Zhao Jingwen and Zhao Jingwu were sent to work in the countryside, they were not in their own village, but in a neighboring village, living in a house belonging to the production team's educated youth settlement.
Of course, even if they went back to their village, their old house couldn't accommodate both families. The old house was about the same size as Zhao Jingyu's dormitory.
With his grandson about to start elementary school and his two sons still unemployed, the father is very anxious.
"Jobs aren't easy to find, and it's hard to get a job opening. Let's take it slow!" Yang Yuelan was also keeping an eye on this matter. Her job as a meter reader paid so little, and it was only through Xu Qingning's connections that she was able to find it.
As for better jobs, they are even harder to find.
Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei came after they had finished eating. They bought some fruit and came specifically to see Zhao Futang.
As they chatted, the conversation turned to work. Wang Yaqiang looked at Xu Qingning and said, "I heard from Xiao Tingshen that the machinery factory is hiring recently, but the number of openings is very limited, and you need connections to get in..."
Xu Qingning remained silent.
Anyway, she would never ask for favors for Zhao Jingwen and Zhao Jingwu's jobs, especially not for Xiao Tingshen.
Second update.
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